1. Field
Example aspects described herein generally relate to filmless dental radiography, and, in particular, to filmless dental radiography that involves the use of sealed sensors.
2. Description of Related Art
In the last several decades, the field of filmless dental radiography has emerged. In filmless dental radiography, an x-ray beam is projected through a patient's tooth, but no photographic film is used. Instead, an electronic sensor is placed in the patient's mouth behind the tooth to be examined, and an x-ray beam is projected through the tooth and onto the sensor. The electronic sensor may include a charge-coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor (APS) array or any other filmless radiation sensor. The x-rays pass through the tooth and impinge on the electronic sensor, which converts the x-rays into an electrical signal. The electrical signal is transmitted to a computer, either directly or through a module containing intermediate processing circuitry. The computer then processes the signal to produce an image on an associated output device, such as a monitor or a printer.
Because electronic sensors, unlike film, are re-usable from patient to patient, it is common to use an x-ray permeable sheath that surrounds the sensor. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,312 depicts a sheath 12 that surrounds a sensor 10 and a cable 14, and a holder 16 that is used to position the sensor 10 in the patient's mouth. Such sheaths are typically disposable, and are changed between examinations, so that no sheath is used for more than one patient. In this manner, the sheath protects the re-usable sensor from contamination.
However, sheaths that are typically used with sensors may cause gagging and other patient discomfort to the patient in whose mouth the intraoral sensor is placed.
Moreover, the connection between the sensor and the processing module or computer is most conventionally made via a cable. Such a cable, however, can be uncomfortable for, and annoying to, the patient in whose mouth the intraoral sensor is placed. The cable is also bothersome to the dental practitioner when positioning the sensor in the patient's mouth.
In addition, the repeated acts of positioning and re-positioning the cable, which involve a good deal of bending, twisting and pulling of the cable, puts mechanical stresses on the cable. These stresses may eventually lead to cable failure, and indeed cable-related malfunctions are common reasons for product failures and returns in this field.